holy

A mildly indecent exclamation of surprise, shock, or astonishment. Holy crap, the bill for that dinner is nearly $200! We won the lottery? Holy crap, that's amazing news!

A mildly indecent exclamation of surprise, shock, or astonishment. (An emphatic form of "holy crap.") Holy crap on a cracker, the bill for that dinner is nearly $200! We won the lottery? Holy crap on a cracker, that's amazing news!

An exclamation of surprise, shock, or astonishment. Holy crickets, the bill for that dinner is nearly $200! We won the lottery? Holy crickets, that's amazing news!

A very troublesome, aggressive, or aggravating person; a person who is exasperatingly difficult in his or her manner or behavior. I know that I was a holy terror when I was young, so I guess it's fitting that my own kids give me so much trouble.

An exclamation of alarm, amazement, or exasperation. (Could be considered blasphemous to some.) Holy Mother of God, I thought that car was going to hit me! Oh, Mother of God, could you work any slower?

rude slang An exclamation, typically of surprise, dismay, or anger. Holy fuck, did someone hit my car? Look at the size of that bear! Holy fuck!

Inf. Wow! Holy cow! I never expected such a nice gift! Give me a chance! Holy cow, don't rush me!

Inf. Wow! Holy mackerel! What a beautiful day! Holy mackerel! What's this? A new car?

Inf. Wow! Holy moley! A whole quarter! Look, here's another one! Holy moley!

what a surprise or how very unpleasant Holy shit! The whole basement is flooded!

what a surprise Holy smoke! Look at all of those geese!

someone who is holier-than-thou behaves as if they have better morals than other people I can't stand that holier-than-thou attitude that some vegetarians have.

a very special place This football stadium is the holy of holies to many fans.

Also, holy mackerel or Moses or moly or smoke . An exclamation of surprise, astonishment, delight, or dismay, as in Holy cow, I forgot the wine, or Holy mackerel, you won! or Holy Moses, here comes the teacher! or Holy smoke, I didn't know you were here too. The oldest of these slangy expletives uses mackerel, dating from about 1800; the one with Moses dates from about 1850 and cow from about 1920. None has any literal significance, and moly is a neologism devised to rhyme with "holy" and possibly a euphemism for "Moses."

A place of awe or sacredness, as in The corporate board room is the holy of holies here. This expression is a translation of the Hebrew term for the sanctuary inside the tabernacle of the Temple of Jerusalem, where the sacred Ark of the Covenant was kept (Exodus 26:34). Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1800s.

An exasperating individual, as in He was only five, but he was a holy terror, running wild through the house and throwing whatever he could lay his hands on . The adjective holy here is an intensifier. [Late 1800s]